Friday 16 August 2013

Written in Stone

Written in Stone

A stony beach hard on my feet,
a restless sea, green, grey, brown,
splashes of white where ocean waves
meet rocky outcrops, tiny islands.
Here the veil is thin between
earth and heaven, eternity.

Sheep, regardless, eat the seaweed
stranded on the strandline.
This the beach Columba landed,
stones are sacred, water holy.
Bow your head, take off your shoes,
walk on sacred ground.

Among the pebbles, one stands out,
a pretty, pinky marbled grey
with two meandering veins of white
right angled in a central cross –
random chance of nature’s craft
or blessing from Columba?

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This poem was inspired by a visit to the island of Iona, where St Columba landed to bring Christianity to Scotland. 

***
The collage version of the poem (see photo above) is now for sale in the Crafty Green Poet Etsy shop

***
I've also put together an Etsy treasury with an elephant theme. Treasuries are a great way to highlight some of the wonderful items on sale on Etsy. Elephants are struggling at the moment, there are rumours that African elephants could be hunted to extinction in the wild in as little as 18 years, which is a terrifying thought.

9 comments:

Little Miss Titch said...

Lovely Poem,xx Rachel

Pete Thompson said...

That's a lovely, quiet poem.I can hear the lapping of the waves.

Pete Thompson said...

That's a lovely, quiet poem. I can hearthe lapping of the waves.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Quite a beautiful poem...makes me want to go back to the beach :)

Bill said...

I like the question you ask: the human imagination at work.

I think there are a few haiku embedded in this; you'll find them for yourself, I'm sure.

Anonymous said...

A beautiful, contemplative poem Juliet - I can immerse myself in the place with your words.

RG said...

Very nice ...

Sandy's witterings said...

Good piece - much to my liking.

Gillena Cox said...

a lovely tale told in a reverent tone;


much love...